When running a gym, one of the most challenging and important responsibilities of independent gym owners, sales managers, and general managers is managing people. This includes not only managing the day-to-day operations but also leading and motivating your team to achieve collective goals. Setting expectations and goals for your staff is a fundamental aspect of this process. However, too often, the human side of managing people—the emotional intelligence, empathy, and personal connection—is overlooked.
Understanding the human side of management is key to fostering a thriving gym culture where employees feel motivated, respected, and aligned with your vision. Here, we’ll explore how gym leaders can balance the technicalities of setting goals and expectations with the human element, ensuring both the team’s success and a positive working environment.
Why the Human Element is Crucial in Managing Gym Staff
Managing people involves much more than setting deadlines, tracking performance, or assigning tasks. It’s about understanding what drives individuals, recognizing their strengths and challenges, and fostering a supportive environment that allows each team member to thrive. This human-centered approach can lead to higher staff morale, lower turnover, and better overall performance.
Key Aspects of the Human Side of Management:
- Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as recognize and influence the emotions of others. For gym managers, having high EQ means being able to empathize with staff, understand their motivations, and respond to their concerns in a meaningful way.
- Empathy and Understanding: A successful manager recognizes that employees are individuals with unique needs, challenges, and aspirations. By understanding each team member’s perspective, you can set goals that are not only realistic but also personally motivating for them.
- Clear and Compassionate Communication: Good communication is about more than just telling people what to do. It’s about ensuring that staff understand the “why” behind their tasks and feel involved in the process. Compassionate communication fosters trust and respect, which leads to better alignment with the gym’s goals.
- Encouragement and Recognition: Positive reinforcement and recognition for a job well done are powerful motivators. By celebrating small wins and acknowledging effort, you create a culture of encouragement that drives your team to strive for success.
Setting Expectations: Balancing Clarity with Flexibility
Setting clear expectations is essential for any gym team to function efficiently. However, it’s not just about making demands—it’s about providing clarity while also remaining flexible to adapt to individual needs and circumstances.
1. Be Specific and Transparent
Your team cannot meet expectations if they don’t know exactly what is expected of them. Whether it’s sales targets, membership retention goals, or customer service standards, it’s essential to define clear and measurable objectives.
- Example: Instead of saying, “We need to improve member retention,” be specific: “We aim to increase member retention by 10% over the next six months by improving the onboarding process and enhancing our follow-up with new members.”
By providing specifics, employees know what success looks like and what they are working toward.
2. Set Expectations with Input from the Team
While it’s important for leaders to set the tone, involving your team in the process of setting expectations can foster ownership and accountability. By asking for their input, you signal that their ideas and perspectives are valued, and you may even uncover better ways to achieve the desired outcomes.
- Example: During a staff meeting, ask your team, “What do you think would help us improve membership sales?” You might discover that front desk staff feel they could use additional training on handling inquiries or that sales staff need better tools to follow up with leads.
3. Balance Consistency with Individualization
While consistency in expectations is important to ensure fairness, remember that different people are motivated by different things. Some staff members may thrive under strict guidelines and structure, while others may perform better with more autonomy.
- Example: A general goal might be for all personal trainers to maintain a certain number of clients, but for a more experienced trainer, the expectation might include developing new programs or mentoring junior trainers, while a newer trainer may need more support with client acquisition.
Flexibility in how expectations are met shows your understanding of individual team members’ unique strengths and challenges, while still keeping everyone aligned toward the same goals.
Setting Goals: Aligning the Individual with the Collective
Setting goals for your team is crucial, but goals should be more than just numerical targets. A human-centered approach to goal setting ensures that employees are not only striving toward the gym’s success but also achieving personal growth along the way.
1. Align Team Goals with Personal Aspirations
One of the most effective ways to motivate your staff is by aligning the gym’s objectives with their personal and professional aspirations. For example, a personal trainer may have a goal to specialize in a specific fitness niche, while a salesperson may want to improve their closing rate.
- Example: If your gym’s goal is to increase personal training sales, align this with an individual trainer’s goal to grow their client base. Offer incentives that speak to their personal development, such as funding for additional certifications or workshops.
When individual goals are aligned with the overall mission, employees feel more invested in the gym’s success because they see their own progress as part of the bigger picture.
2. Break Down Big Goals into Smaller, Achievable Milestones
Large, overarching goals can often feel overwhelming, especially if they are long-term. To keep your team motivated, break down these goals into smaller, more manageable milestones.
- Example: If the goal is to increase gym membership by 20% over the year, break this into quarterly targets of 5%, with smaller weekly or monthly actions tied to each staff member’s responsibilities, such as social media outreach, member referrals, or improving customer experience.
Small wins build momentum and make the larger goal feel more achievable.
3. Regularly Review and Adjust Goals
Setting goals isn’t a one-time event. Regular check-ins allow you to assess progress and make necessary adjustments. If a staff member is struggling, it’s important to offer guidance and support rather than simply focusing on the lack of results.
- Example: During a monthly review, if a salesperson hasn’t met their quota, instead of reprimanding them, ask what challenges they’re facing. Perhaps they’re encountering a lot of objections from prospects. This opens the door for coaching and development, rather than demotivation.
Being adaptable with goals shows your commitment to helping each team member succeed.
The Role of Accountability with Empathy
Holding staff accountable to their goals and expectations is crucial for maintaining performance standards. However, accountability must be balanced with empathy.
1. Create a Safe Environment for Feedback
Accountability isn’t just about calling people out when things go wrong; it’s about fostering an environment where feedback can flow both ways. Encourage your staff to speak up if they’re struggling with a goal or feel unclear about expectations.
- Example: “I’ve noticed you’re having trouble hitting your sales targets this month. Let’s talk about what might be going on. How can I support you in achieving this?”
Approaching accountability from a place of support rather than criticism builds trust and improves the likelihood of success.
2. Celebrate Success and Effort
Accountability also means recognizing hard work and celebrating success when goals are met. This goes beyond monetary rewards; sometimes, public recognition, praise, or even just a heartfelt “thank you” can be incredibly motivating.
- Example: “Great job on helping us reach our member retention goal this quarter! Your attention to customer service made a huge difference.”
Celebrating effort, not just results, shows that you value the work your staff puts in, even if they haven’t quite hit their targets yet.
Conclusion: The Human Side of Management is the Key to Success
At the end of the day, managing people is about more than driving results—it’s about building relationships, understanding motivations, and fostering a culture of respect and collaboration. For independent gym owners, sales managers, and general managers, balancing the technical side of goal-setting with the human aspect of leadership is the key to long-term success.
By incorporating emotional intelligence, empathetic communication, and personalized approaches to setting expectations and goals, you not only improve your gym’s performance but also create an environment where your team feels supported, valued, and driven to succeed. And when your people thrive, your gym thrives. Contact Jim here.
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Meet Jim Thomas
Jim Thomas is the Founder and President of Fitness Management USA, Inc., a premier management consulting, turnaround, financing, and brokerage firm specializing in the leisure services industry. With over 25 years of hands-on experience owning, operating, and managing fitness facilities of all sizes, Jim is an outsourced CEO, turnaround expert, and author who delivers actionable strategies that drive results. Whether it’s improving gym sales, fostering teamwork, or refining marketing approaches, Jim has the expertise to help your business thrive. Learn more by visiting his website or YouTube channel.
